Universal display exposure monitor using personal locator service

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods and devices for gathering data concerning exposure of predetermined survey participants to media displays are provided. A portable monitor is arranged to receive certain types of terrestrial-based signals, and in some specific cases, satellite-based signals, and to use such signals to generate location data indicative of a location of the portable monitor. The location data and stored media display data is analyzed to evaluate the survey participant&#39;s exposure to one or more media displays.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of prior U.S. non-provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 10/640,104, filed Aug. 13, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No.7,592,908, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to systems, methods and devicesfor measuring the exposure of predetermined survey participants to mediadisplays.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

It is desired to estimate the exposure of persons to media displayswhich are often displayed in outdoor settings, such as along roads,highways, railways and walkways, as well as in various indoor settings,such as in malls, subway stations, railway stations, bus stations,airports, building lobbies, etc. Moreover, in addition to informationconcerning the numbers of persons exposed to such media displays,information concerning the days and times such exposure takes place andinformation concerning the particular individuals so exposed is alsohighly desired.

It has been proposed to employ global positioning satellite (GPS)systems to track the positions of persons during a period of time, andthen to compare the paths of the tracked persons with the knownlocations of billboards in order to determine which billboards thetracked persons passed by.

This proposed technique, however, suffers from a number ofdisadvantages. One such disadvantage is that the technique is limited tooutdoor use only due to the drastic weakening of GPS signals caused bybuilding structures and the like. As such, the exposure to mediadisplays displayed in indoor settings, such as in malls, subwaystations, railway stations, bus stations, airports, building lobbies,etc., cannot be accurately measured using this proposed system. Arelated disadvantage is that the GPS signals may become weakened whenthe persons being monitored are traveling in vehicles, such as cars,trucks, buses, trains and the like. As such, the accurate measurement ofexposure to even outdoor media displays may not always be possible usingthis proposed system.

Still another disadvantage of the proposed GPS system is that GPSsystems may be costly to implement or maintain. The cost of theelectronics required to receive the GPS signals and to convert those GPSsignals into location data may be prohibitive, particularly when surveysdesigned for a large survey population are desired. Moreover, thephysical size and weight of the electronics required to receive, processand store the GPS signals may also be prohibitive, since the device mustbe carried on the person of survey participants at all times foraccurate results.

Yet another disadvantage of the proposed GPS system is that although theproposed system may include a monitor having a motion detector forshutting the monitor down when the monitor is not moving (for example,when it is taken off the survey participant during sleep or the like),the monitor is substantially continuously monitoring for location datawhen the survey participant is moving around. This may not be necessary,for example when the survey participant is in an area with no mediadisplays, and unnecessarily decreases battery life, requiringreplacement or recharging of the batteries at shorter intervals.

Each embodiment of the present invention, as discussed in more detailbelow, obviates at least some of the disadvantages of the proposed GPSsystem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For this application the following terms and definitions shall apply,both for the singular and plural forms of nouns and for all verb tenses:

The term “data” as used herein means any indicia, signals, marks,symbols, domains, symbol sets, representations and any other physicalform or forms representing information, whether permanent or temporary,whether visible, audible, acoustic, electric, magnetic, electromagneticor otherwise manifested. The term “data” as used herein to representcertain information in one physical form shall be deemed to encompassany and all representations of the same information in a differentphysical form or forms.

The term “media data” as used herein means data which is widelyaccessible, whether optically observable, over-the-air, or via cable,satellite, network, internetwork (including the Internet), distributedon storage media, or otherwise, without regard to the form or contentthereof.

The term “transmitter” as used herein means any device which radiates ordistributes a signal, whether optical, acoustic, electric, magnetic,electromagnetic or otherwise manifested.

The term “receiver” as used herein means any device which acquires asignal, whether optical, acoustic, electric, magnetic, electromagneticor otherwise manifested.

The terms “coupled”, “coupled to” and “coupled with” as used herein eachmeans a relationship between or among two or more devices, apparatus,files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems and/ormeans, constituting any one or more of (a) a connection whether director through one or more other devices, apparatus, files, programs, media,components, networks, systems, subsystems or means, (b) a communicationsrelationship whether direct or through one or more other devices,apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems,subsystems, or means, or (c) a functional relationship in which theoperation of any one or more thereof depends, in whole or in part, onthe operation of any one or more others thereof.

The terms “communicate” and “communication” as used herein include bothconveying data from a source to a destination, and delivering data to acommunications medium, system or link to be conveyed to a destination.

The term “processor” as used herein means processing devices, apparatus,programs, circuits, systems and subsystems, whether implemented inhardware, software or both and whether for processing analog and/ordigital data.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media displaycomprises the steps of: generating location data indicative of alocation of a portable monitor arranged to be carried on the person ofthe survey participant based upon a technique comprising at least one ofan angle of arrival technique, a time difference of arrival technique,an enhanced signal strength technique, a location fingerprintingtechnique, and an ultra wideband location technique; and analyzing thelocation data and stored media display data to evaluate the surveyparticipant's exposure to one or more media displays.

In some embodiments, the generating step is performed periodically orfrom time to time. In some embodiments, the method further comprises thestep of receiving a monitor enabling signal when the portable monitor isin the vicinity of one or more media displays, and the generating stepis performed only when the monitor enabling signal is received.

In some embodiments, the generating step comprises the steps of:generating, with a vehicle monitor arranged to be carried in or on avehicle, location data indicative of a location of the vehicle basedupon a technique comprising at least one of an angle of arrivaltechnique, a time difference of arrival technique, an enhanced signalstrength technique, a location fingerprinting technique, and an ultrawideband location technique; and receiving the location data from thevehicle monitor with a portable monitor arranged to be carried on theperson of the survey participant.

In some embodiments, the analyzing step is performed by the portablemonitor. In some embodiments, the method further comprises the step oftransmitting the location data to a processing system, and the analyzingstep is performed by the processing system.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant riding in a vehicle to amedia display comprises the steps of: generating, with a vehicle monitorarranged to be carried in or on the vehicle, location data indicative ofa location of the vehicle monitor; receiving the location data from thevehicle monitor with a portable monitor arranged to be carried on theperson of the survey participant; and analyzing the location data andstored media display data to evaluate the survey participant's exposureto one or more media displays.

In some embodiments, the generating step employs satellite-based signalsin order to generate the location data. In certain of these embodiments,the satellite-based signals comprise global positioning system signals.In some embodiments, the generating step employs terrestrial-basedsignals in order to generate the location data. In certain of theseembodiments, the generating step employs a technique comprising at leastone of an angle of arrival technique, a time difference of arrivaltechnique, an enhanced signal strength technique, a locationfingerprinting technique, and an ultra wideband location technique inorder to generate the location data.

In some embodiments, the receiving step is performed periodically orfrom time to time. In some embodiments, the method further comprises thestep of receiving a monitor enabling signal when the portable monitor isin the vicinity of one or more media displays, and the receiving thelocation data step is performed only when the monitor enabling signal isreceived.

In some embodiments, the analyzing step is performed by the portablemonitor. In some embodiments, the method further comprises the step oftransmitting the location data to a processing system, and the analyzingstep is performed by the processing system. In some embodiments themethod further comprises the step of receiving, with the portablemonitor, media exposure data indicative of the survey participant'sexposure to media data other than a media display or media displays. Incertain of these embodiments, the media exposure data is indicative ofthe survey participant's exposure to radio, television and/or streamingmedia data.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media displaycomprises the steps of: receiving, with a media display locationreceiver/transmitter on or adjacent the media display, positionindicative signals; generating and transmitting, with the media displaylocation receiver/transmitter, media display location data at least inpart based upon the received position indicative signals; and receivingthe media display location data from the media display locationreceiver/transmitter with a portable monitor arranged to be carried onthe person of the survey participant.

In some embodiments, the position indicative signals comprisesatellite-based signals. In certain of these embodiments, thesatellite-based signals comprise global positioning system signals. Insome embodiments, the position indicative signals compriseterrestrial-based signals. In certain of these embodiments, thegenerating and transmitting step employs a technique comprising at leastone of an angle of arrival technique, a time difference of arrivaltechnique, an enhanced signal strength technique, a locationfingerprinting technique, and an ultra wideband location technique inorder to generate the media display location data.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises the step of receivinga monitor enabling signal when the portable monitor is in the vicinityof one or more media displays, and wherein the receiving the mediadisplay location data step is performed only when the monitor enablingsignal is received. In some embodiments, the method further comprisesthe step of analyzing the media display location data to evaluate thesurvey participant's exposure to one or more media displays. In certainof these embodiments, the analyzing step is performed by the portablemonitor. In certain of these embodiments, the method further comprisesthe step of transmitting the media display location data to a processingsystem, and wherein the analyzing step is performed by the processingsystem. In some embodiments, the media display location data istransmitted at a different frequency than, in a different format than,or both at a different frequency than and in a different format than theposition indicative signals. In some embodiments, the media displaylocation data is transmitted acoustically.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a methodfor measuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media displaycomprises the steps of: receiving location signals from a serverassisted satellite positioning system; generating location dataindicative of a location of a portable monitor arranged to be carried onthe person of the survey participant based upon the received locationsignals; and analyzing the location data and stored media display datato evaluate the survey participant's exposure to one or more mediadisplays.

In some embodiments, the receiving and generating steps are performedperiodically or from time to time. In some embodiments, the methodfurther comprises the step of receiving a monitor enabling signal whenthe portable monitor is in the vicinity of one or more media displays,and the receiving location signals step and the generating step areperformed only when the monitor enabling signal is received. In someembodiments, the generating step comprises the steps of: generating,with a vehicle monitor arranged to be carried in or on a vehicle,location data indicative of a location of the vehicle based upon thereceived location signals; and receiving the location data from thevehicle monitor with a portable monitor arranged to be carried on theperson of the survey participant. In some embodiments, the analyzingstep is performed by the portable monitor. In some embodiments, themethod further comprises the step of transmitting the location data to aprocessing system, and the analyzing step is performed by the processingsystem.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, amethod for measuring the exposure of a survey participant to a mediadisplay comprises the steps of: generating location data indicative of alocation of a portable monitor arranged to be carried on the person ofthe survey participant, the location data being based upon signalsgenerated by an inertial monitoring unit; and analyzing the locationdata and stored media display data to evaluate the survey participant'sexposure to one or more media displays.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises the step ofcalibrating the inertial monitoring unit based upon location signalsreceived by the inertial monitoring unit. In some embodiments, thelocation signals comprise satellite-based location signals. In certainof these embodiments, the satellite-based location signals compriseglobal positioning system location signals. In some embodiments, thelocation signals comprise terrestrial-based location signals. In someembodiments, the calibrating step is performed periodically or from timeto time. In some embodiments, the calibrating step is performed wheneverthe location signals are received.

In some embodiments, the generating step is performed periodically orfrom time to time. In some embodiments, the method further comprises thestep of receiving a monitor enabling signal when the portable monitor isin the vicinity of one or more media displays, and the generating stepis performed only when the monitor enabling signal is received. In someembodiments, the generating step comprises the steps of: generating,with a vehicle monitor arranged to be carried in or on a vehicle,location data indicative of a location of the vehicle based upon signalsgenerated by an inertial monitoring unit; and receiving the locationdata from the vehicle monitor with a portable monitor arranged to becarried on the person of the survey participant. In some embodiments,the analyzing step is performed by the portable monitor. In someembodiments, the method further comprises the step of transmitting thelocation data to a processing system, and the analyzing step isperformed by the processing system.

In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present invention, amethod for measuring the exposure of a survey participant riding in avehicle to a media display comprises the steps of: generating, with avehicle monitor arranged to be carried in or on the vehicle, locationdata indicative of a location of the vehicle monitor; analyzing thelocation data and stored media display data to generate exposure dataindicative of the survey participant's exposure to one or more mediadisplays; and receiving the exposure data from the vehicle monitor witha portable monitor arranged to be carried on the person of the surveyparticipant.

In some embodiments, the generating step employs satellite-based signalsin order to generate the location data. In certain of these embodiments,the satellite-based signals comprise global positioning system signals.In some embodiments, the generating step employs terrestrial-basedsignals in order to generate the location data. In certain of theseembodiments, the generating step employs a technique comprising at leastone of an angle of arrival technique, a time difference of arrivaltechnique, an enhanced signal strength technique, a locationfingerprinting technique, and an ultra wideband location technique inorder to generate the location data.

In some embodiments, the receiving step is performed periodically orfrom time to time. In some embodiments, the method further comprises thestep of receiving a monitor enabling signal when the portable monitor isin the vicinity of one or more media displays, and the receiving theexposure data step is performed only when the monitor enabling signal isreceived. In some embodiments, the method further comprises the step oftransmitting the exposure data to a processing system. In someembodiments, the method further comprises the step of receiving mediaexposure data indicative of the survey participant's exposure to a mediaother than a media display or media displays. In certain of theseembodiments, the media exposure data is indicative of the surveyparticipant's exposure to radio, television and/or streaming media.

In still yet a further aspect of the present invention, a method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media displaycomprises the steps of: gathering location data of the surveyparticipant within an area including an exposure area of the mediadisplay; at a location of the survey participant, processing thelocation data with media display location data to produce media displayexposure data indicating exposure of the survey participant to the mediadisplay; and communicating the media display exposure data to a mediaexposure estimate producing system for producing media exposure data.

In some embodiments, a portable monitor carried on the person of thesurvey participant processes the location data to produce the mediadisplay exposure data. In some embodiments, a vehicle monitor carried inor on a vehicle in which the survey participant is riding processes thelocation data to produce the media display exposure data. In someembodiments, a processor located in a household of the surveyparticipant processes the location data to produce the media displayexposure data.

In yet still another aspect of the present invention, a system formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display,comprises: a portable media monitor arranged to be carried on the personof the survey participant, the portable media monitor being operative togenerate location data indicative of a location of the surveyparticipant based upon a technique comprising at least one of an angleof arrival technique, a time difference of arrival technique, anenhanced signal strength technique, a location fingerprinting technique,and an ultra wideband location technique; and a processor, the processorbeing operative to analyze the location data and stored media displaydata to evaluate the survey participant's exposure to one or more mediadisplays.

In still another aspect of the present invention, a system for measuringthe exposure of a survey participant riding in a vehicle to a mediadisplay comprises: a vehicle monitor arranged to be carried in or on thevehicle, the vehicle monitor being operative to generate location dataindicative of a location of the vehicle monitor; a portable monitorarranged to be carried on the person of the survey participant, theportable monitor being operative to receive the location data from thevehicle monitor; and a processor, the processor being operative toanalyze the location data and stored media display data to evaluate thesurvey participant's exposure to one or more media displays.

In a further aspect of the present invention, a system for measuring theexposure of a survey participant to a media display comprises: a mediadisplay location receiver/transmitter on or adjacent the media display,the media display location receiver/transmitter being operative toreceive position indicative signals, and to generate and transmit mediadisplay location data at least in part based upon the received positionindicative signals; and a portable monitor arranged to be carried on theperson of the survey participant, the portable monitor being operativeto receive the media display location data from the media displaylocation receiver/transmitter.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a system for measuringthe exposure of a survey participant to a media display comprises: aportable monitor arranged to be carried on the person of the surveyparticipant, the portable monitor being operative to receive locationsignals from a server assisted satellite positioning system, and togenerate location data indicative of a location of the surveyparticipant based upon the received location signals; and a processor,the processor being operative to analyze the location data and storedmedia display data to evaluate the survey participant's exposure to oneor more media displays.

In still a further aspect of the present invention, a system formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media displaycomprises: a portable monitor arranged to be carried on the person ofthe survey participant, the portable monitor comprising an inertialmonitoring unit, and the portable monitor being operative to generatelocation data indicative of a location of the survey participant basedupon signals generated by the inertial monitoring unit; and a processor,the processor being operative to analyze the location data and storedmedia display data to evaluate the survey participant's exposure to oneor more media displays.

In still yet a further aspect of the present invention, a system formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant riding in a vehicle to amedia display comprises: a vehicle monitor arranged to be carried in oron the vehicle, the vehicle monitor being operative to generate locationdata indicative of a location of the vehicle monitor, and to analyze thelocation data and stored media display data to generate exposure dataindicative of the survey participant's exposure to one or more mediadisplays; and a portable monitor arranged to be carried on the person ofthe survey participant, the portable monitor being operative to receivethe exposure data from the vehicle monitor.

In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention, a system formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media displaycomprises: a receiver operative to gather location data representing alocation of the survey participant within an area including an exposurearea of the media display; a processor at a location of the surveyparticipant and coupled with the receiver to receive the location data,the processor being operative to process the location data with mediadisplay location data to produce media display exposure data indicatingexposure of the survey participant to the media display; and acommunications device coupled with the processor to communicate themedia display exposure data to a media exposure estimate producingsystem for producing media exposure data.

In some embodiments, the processor is included in a portable monitorcarried on the person of the survey participant. In some embodiments,the processor is included in a vehicle monitor carried in or on avehicle in which the survey participant is riding. In some embodiments,the processor is located in a household of the survey participant.

The invention and its particular features and advantages will becomemore apparent from the following detailed description considered withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating certain embodiments of a portablemonitor portion of a system and method for measuring the exposure of asurvey participant to a media display in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating certain embodiments of a portablemonitor portion of a system and method for measuring the exposure of asurvey participant to a media display in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating certain embodiments of a portablemonitor portion and a vehicle monitor portion of a system and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating certain embodiments of a portablemonitor portion and a vehicle monitor portion of a system and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating certain embodiments of aportable monitor portion and a vehicle monitor portion of a system andmethod for measuring the exposure of a survey participant to a mediadisplay in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating certain embodiments of aportable monitor portion of a system and method for measuring theexposure of a survey participant to a media display in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN ADVANTAGEOUS EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system 110 for measuring the exposureof a survey participant 112 to a media display 114 in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present invention. System 110 includes aportable monitor 116 arranged to be carried on the person of the surveyparticipant 112. The portable monitor 116 receives one or more signals118 from one or more terrestrial sources 120 and generates location dataindicative of a location of the portable monitor 116 based upon thesignals 118. More particularly, the portable monitor 116 employs atleast one of the following techniques to generate the location databased upon the signals 118: an angle of arrival (AOA) technique, a timedifference of arrival (TDOA) technique, an enhanced signal strength(ESS) technique, a location fingerprinting technique, and an ultrawideband location technique. Each of these techniques is now brieflydescribed.

The angle of arrival (AOA) technique determines the direction of asignal received from a radio frequency (RF) transmitter. This can bedone by pointing a directional antenna along the line of maximum signalstrength. Alternatively, signal direction can be determined from thedifference in time of arrival of the incoming signals at differentelements of the antenna. A two-element antenna is typically used tocover angles of .+−.60 degrees. To achieve 360-degree coverage, asix-element antenna can be used. However, a single mobile directionalantenna can give only the bearing, not the position, of a transmittingobject.

With two directional antennas spaced well apart, however, the positionof a transmitting device in a plane can be computed. In this method,also known as the angle of arrival (AOA) method, transmitter position isdetermined from the known (fixed) position of the receivers' antennasand the angle of arrival of the signals with respect to the antennas. Incertain embodiments the portable monitor 116 includes a transmitter thatenables its location to be determined in accordance with the angle ofarrival method.

The time difference of arrival (TDOA) technique is based upon thesimilar concept that the difference in time of arrival between signalsreceived at geographically disparate antennas can be used to determineposition. Given the speed of light and known transmit and receive times,the distance between the mobile locator and receiver antenna can becalculated. In certain embodiments the portable monitor 116 includes atransmitter that enables its location to be determined in accordancewith the time difference of arrival technique.

In an alternative time difference scheme, the locator and the antennasreverse roles: the antennas are transmitters and the mobile locator is areceiver. This technique is known as forward link trilateration (FLT).This is relatively simple to implement in some code-division multipleaccess (CDMA) wireless systems, where the time difference of arrival canbe determined from the phase difference between pseudo-random noise codesequences of 0s and 1s transmitted from two antennas. In certainembodiments the portable monitor 116 includes a receiver, such as a CDMAcellular telephone receiver, that enables its location to be determinedin accordance with the forward link trilateration method.

When the term “time difference of arrival technique” is used herein, theterm is meant to encompass both the traditional time difference ofarrival (TDOA) method and the forward link trilateration (FLT) method.

The enhanced signal strength (ESS) method provides improvements overconventional signal strength methods by overcoming such impediments asmultipath effects, attenuation, and antenna orientation. The methodinvolves taking in three-dimensional information on the lay of the land,buildings, elevated highways, railroads, and other obstructions, andusing such information to simulate the RF signal propagationcharacteristics of wireless transmitting antennas in an area where thelocation of a mobile transmitter is to be determined. A location systemcenter stores the results in an RF database. The position of a mobilelocator is determined by getting it to measure the signal strength ofpreferably three to five base stations. From this input plus informationfrom the base stations' databases, the system can calculate the positionof the locator. Inside large public buildings, such as malls, subway andtrain stations, stadiums and arenas with appropriate base stationslocated therein, the proximity of a locator in the vicinity of a givenmedia display can be determined by means of the ESS method. In certainembodiments the portable monitor 116 includes a receiver that enablesits location to be determined in accordance with the ESS method.

The location fingerprinting technique, instead of exploiting signaltiming or signal strength, relies on signal structure characteristics.The technique turns the multipath phenomenon to good use by combiningthe multipath pattern with other signal characteristics, to create asignature unique to a given location. A location fingerprinting systemincludes a signal signature database of a location grid for a specificservice area. To generate this database, a vehicle drives through thecoverage area transmitting or receiving signals to or from a monitoringsite. The system analyzes the incoming signals, compiles a uniquesignature for each square in the location grid, and stores it in thedatabase.

To determine the position of a mobile transmitter or receiver, thesystem matches the transmitter's or receiver's signal signature to anentry in the database. Multipoint signal reception is not required,although it is preferable. The system can use data from only a singlepoint to determine location. Moving traffic, including vehicles,animals, and/or people, and changes in foliage or weather do not affectthe system's capabilities. In certain embodiments the portable monitor116 includes a transmitter or a receiver that enables its location to bedetermined in accordance with the location fingerprinting technique.

In certain ultra wideband location techniques a network of localizersdetermine relative locations in three-dimensional space by measuringpropagation times of pseudorandom sequences of electromagnetic impulses.The propagation time is determined from a correlator which provides ananalog pseudo-autocorrelation function sampled at discrete time bins.The correlator has a number of integrators, each integrator providing asignal proportional to the time integral of the product of the expectedpulse sequence delayed by one of the discrete time bins, and thenon-delayed received antenna signal. Using pattern recognition thearrival time of the received signal can be determined to within a timemuch smaller than the separation between bins.

In certain ultra wideband techniques, wireless ultra widebandtransceivers are positioned at known stationary locations within an areato be monitored, and the portable monitor 116 includes a wireless ultrawideband receiver/processor that receives one or more timed pulses fromthe various transceivers and resolves the location of the portablemonitor within the monitored area based on the locations of the ultrawideband transceivers and time-of-flight measurements of the pulse orpulses. In certain embodiments, the portable monitor 116 includes anultra wideband transmitter and a plurality of interacting receivers instationary positions receive a pulse from the transmitter of theportable monitor 116 to determine its location. In certain of theembodiments, the stationary transceivers or receivers are coupled bycabling, while in others they are untethered.

In certain embodiments location data is generated by the portablemonitor 116 based upon signals 118 transmitted from the terrestrialsources 120 in accordance with a selected one of the location methodsdescribed above. In certain embodiments location data is generatedinstead based upon signals transmitted from the portable monitor 116 toone of more base stations (not shown for purposes of simplicity andclarity) in accordance with a selected one of the location methodsdescribed above. In all such embodiments, the location data are analyzedin conjunction with stored media display data to evaluate the exposureof the survey participant 112 to one or more media displays 114. Thisanalysis may be performed by the portable monitor 116, and/or by aprocessing system to which the portable monitor 116 or the one or morebase stations have communicated the location data.

In certain embodiments, the analysis is performed by a processor (notshown for purposes of simplicity and clarity) located in a household ofthe survey participant, from location data downloaded thereto by theportable monitor 116. The processor may be embodied either in a basestation for the portable monitor 116 or in a hub which serves tocommunicate data to and from one or more such base stations to aremotely located media exposure estimate producing system. While it ispossible for the location data to be communicated to the media exposureestimate producing system and analyzed thereby, in some embodiments, itmay be preferable that the analysis be performed in the portablemonitor, the base station, or the hub and that only analyzed mediadisplay exposure data be communicated to the media exposure estimateproducing system, as such an arrangement provides certainprivacy-related advantages. Rather than communicating the location ofsurvey participants to the media exposure estimate producing system(which some survey participants may find to be intrusive), onlyinformation concerning media displays to which the survey participantswere exposed would be communicated. As such, persons concerned withmaintaining their privacy may be more likely to participate as surveyparticipants. The processes of generating and analyzing the locationdata are described in more detail below.

In order to conserve battery life of the portable monitor 116 someembodiments of system 110 employ certain power conservation techniques.In one exemplary technique, the location data is generated by theportable monitor 116 only periodically or from time to time as opposedto continuously. During the periods between such location datageneration, the portable monitor 116 uses a reduced amount of power, andbattery life is prolonged, thereby increasing the length of time betweenbattery replacements or recharging.

In another exemplary power conservation technique, the system 110includes a transmitter 122 which transmits a monitor enabling signal 124with a limited range. The transmitter 122 is positioned such that, andthe monitor enabling signal 124 has a range such that, the portablemonitor 116 only receives the monitor enabling signal 124 when theportable monitor 116 is in the vicinity of one or more media displays114. The location determining function of the portable monitor 116 isenabled (i.e., location data is generated by the portable monitor 116)only when the monitor enabling signal 124 is received by the portablemonitor 116. More specifically, the location determining function of theportable monitor 116 is normally in a dormant state, but when in receiptof the monitor enabling signal 124, the portable monitor 116 enables thelocation determining function. Thus, at times when the surveyparticipant 112 is not in the vicinity of a media display 114 (at whichtimes, the location of the survey participant is not of particularinterest anyway), power is not wasted generating location data, andpower is only expended generating location data when the location of thesurvey participant 112 is of interest.

In certain advantageous embodiments, the monitor enabling signal 124 istransmitted wirelessly from the transmitter 122 to the portable monitor116, such as by RF, infrared or acoustic signaling. A particularlyadvantageous technique for those circumstances where exposure ofpedestrians to nearby media displays is measured employs acousticsignaling by means of acoustic energy that is masked by ambient acousticenergy sensed by the transmitter 122. The transmitter selectively setsthe magnitudes of the acoustic signals so that the acoustic signals aremasked by the ambient acoustic energy, in accordance with the techniquesdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,763 to Jensen et al. which is assignedto the assignee of the present application and which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

The monitor enabling signal 124 is the same without regard to theparticular media display or displays 114 in which the portable monitor116 is in the vicinity. In certain embodiments, the transmitter 122 islocated proximate to the media display 114. In certain embodiments, thetransmitter 122 is located in the vicinity of multiple media displays.In some embodiments, the transmitter 122 may have directionalcapabilities such that the monitor enabling signal 124 is received onlyby portable monitors 116 carried by survey participants traveling incertain directions.

In addition to conserving power, the above-described technique ofemploying a monitor enabling signal 124 which enables the locationdetermining function of the portable monitor 116 provides certainprivacy-related advantages. Rather than tracing the location of surveyparticipants wherever they go (which some survey participants may findto be intrusive), the location of the survey participants would berecorded only when they are in the vicinity of one or more mediadisplays. As such, persons concerned with maintaining their privacy maybe more likely to participate as survey participants.

Referring now to FIG. 2 a system 210 for measuring the exposure of asurvey participant 212 riding in a vehicle 226 to a media display 214 inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention isschematically shown. System 210 includes a vehicle monitor 228 arrangedto be carried in or on the vehicle 226 and a portable monitor (not shownin FIG. 2 for purposes of simplicity and clarity) arranged to be carriedon the person of the survey participant 212 riding in the vehicle 226.Of course, there may be two or more survey participants 212 riding inthe vehicle 226, each carrying a portable monitor. The vehicle 226 maycomprise a private vehicle, such as an automobile, a truck, a van, amotorcycle, a bicycle, a scooter, or the like, or may comprise a publicvehicle, such as a train, a bus, a subway car, an airplane, a monorailor the like.

In certain advantageous embodiments, the location data is transmittedwirelessly from the vehicle monitor 228 to the portable monitor, such asby RF, infrared or acoustic signaling. A particularly advantageoustechnique employs acoustic signaling by means of acoustic energy that ismasked by ambient acoustic energy sensed by the vehicle monitor 228. Thevehicle monitor selectively sets the magnitudes of the acoustic signalsso that the acoustic signals are masked by the ambient acoustic energy,in accordance with the techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,763to Jensen et al. which is assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication and which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

The vehicle monitor 228 receives one or more signals 218 from one ormore terrestrial sources 220 and/or satellite-based sources 230 andgenerates location data indicative of a location of the vehicle monitor228 based upon the signals 218. The location data is transmitted by thevehicle monitor 228 and received by the portable monitor carried by thesurvey participant 212 riding in the vehicle. The location datagenerated by the vehicle monitor 228 based upon the signals 218 from theterrestrial sources 220 and/or satellite-based sources 230 are analyzedin conjunction with stored media display data to evaluate the exposureof the survey participant 212 to one or more media displays 214. Thisanalysis may be performed by the vehicle monitor 228, the portablemonitor, and/or by a processing system to which the portable monitor hascommunicated the location data. The processes of generating andanalyzing the location data are described in more detail below.

The vehicle monitor 228 may employ satellite-based techniques, such asemploying global positioning system (GPS) and/or server assisted GPStechnology, and/or terrestrial techniques, such as employing an angle ofarrival (AOA) technique, a time difference of arrival (TDOA) technique,an enhanced signal strength (ESS) technique, a location fingerprintingtechnique, and/or an ultra wideband location technique to generate thelocation data based upon the signals 218. The terrestrial techniqueshave been briefly described above and each of the satellite-basedtechniques is now briefly described.

The global positioning system (GPS) relies on a constellation of 24satellites, and employs signal timing to determine position. The mobilelocator is a receiver and the orbiting satellites are transmitters. Thesatellites transmit spread-spectrum signals on two frequency bandsdenoted L1 (1575.42 MHz) and L2 (1223.6 MHz). The signals are modulatedby two pseudo-random noise codes, the P (precision) code and C/A(coarse/acquisition) code. The GPS signal is further modulated with adata message known as the GPS navigation message. Note that only the C/Acode in the L1 band is used in civilian applications and hence is ofinterest here.

To acquire the satellites' signals, the GPS receiver generates a replicaof the satellites' pseudo-random noise codes. The GPS navigation messagecan be demodulated only if the replica can be matched and synchronizedwith the pseudo-random noise codes received. If the receiver cannotmatch and synchronize its replica, the GPS signal appears to thereceiver as noise. Matching the pseudo-random noise codes and using thesatellites' navigation message also enables the receiver to calculatethe signal transmit time as well as the coordinates of the satellites.To determine its position, a GPS receiver calculates its x, y, and zcoordinates as well as the time the satellite signals arrive. Data mustbe acquired from at least four (and preferably more) observable GPSsatellites.

Server-assisted GPS involves placing stationary servers throughout thearea of coverage to assist mobile receivers to acquire the GPS signals.In effect, the servers are stationary GPS receivers that enhance themobile GPS receiver's capabilities. The server includes a radiointerface, for communicating with the mobile GPS receiver, and its ownstationary GPS receiver, whose antenna has full view of the sky andmonitors signals continuously from all the satellites within view.

To ask a mobile GPS receiver for its position, the server feeds itsatellite information through the radio interface. Included in thisinformation is a list of observable GPS satellites and other data thatenable the mobile receiver to synchronize and match its pseudo-randomnoise code replicas with those of the satellites. Within about a second,the GPS receiver collects sufficient information for geolocationcomputation and sends the data back to the server. The server can thencombine this information with data from the satellites' navigationmessage to determine the position of the mobile device. When aserver-assisted GPS system is employed in certain embodiments accordingto FIG. 2, the server communicates the determined position to thevehicle monitor 228.

With the assisted GPS approach, the mobile receivers conserve power bynot continuously tracking the satellites' signals. Moreover, they haveonly to track the pseudo-random noise code and not extract thesatellites' navigation message from the signal, in effect becomingsensitive enough to acquire GPS signals inside most buildings. Inaddition, the assisted version of the technology attains greateraccuracy. Because the actual position of the stationary GPS receiver isknown, the difference between that and its measured position can be usedto calculate a correction to the mobile receiver's position.

As with the system 110 described in FIG. 1, system 210 may optionallyemploy certain power conservation techniques in order to conservebattery life of the vehicle monitor 228 and/or the portable monitor.More-specifically, either of the exemplary techniques described above,involving the generation of location data periodically or from time totime and/or employing a transmitter 222 which transmits a monitorenabling signal 224 so that location data is produced only when themonitor enabling signal 224 is received, may be employed.

In certain embodiments, the portable monitor receives media exposuredata indicative of the exposure of the survey participant 212 to a mediaother than the media display 214. For example. the media exposure datamay be indicative of the exposure of the survey participant 212 toradio, television and/or streaming media. This media exposure data isanalyzed along with the location data in order to generate combinedexposure data as more fully described below.

Referring now to FIG. 3 a system 310 for measuring the exposure of asurvey participant 312 to a media display 314 in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention is schematically shown. System 310includes a portable monitor 316 arranged to be carried on the person ofthe survey participant 312. System 310 also includes a media displaylocation receiver/transmitter 332 on or adjacent the media display 314.The media display location receiver/transmitter 332 receives one or moreposition indicative signals 318 from one or more terrestrial sources 320and/or satellite-based sources 330 and generates media display locationdata indicative of a location of the media display 314 based upon thesignals 318. The media display location data is transmitted as a mediadisplay location signal 334 by the media display locationreceiver/transmitter 332, which media display location signal 334 isreceived by the portable monitor 316 carried by the survey participant312.

The media display location data received in the media display locationsignal 334 are analyzed in conjunction with stored media display datathat represent media display locations and/or locations from whichpersons are able to view media displays, to evaluate the exposure of thesurvey participant 312 to one or more media displays 314. This analysismay be performed by the portable monitor 316 and/or by a processingsystem to which the portable monitor 316 has communicated the locationdata. The processes of generating and analyzing the location data aredescribed in more detail below.

The media display location receiver/transmitter 332 may employsatellite-based techniques, such as global positioning system (GPS)and/or server assisted GPS technology, and/or terrestrial techniques,such as an angle of arrival (AOA) technique, a time difference ofarrival (TDOA) technique, an enhanced signal strength (ESS) technique, alocation fingerprinting technique, and/or an ultra wideband locationtechnique to generate the media display location data based upon thesignals 318. Each of these techniques has been briefly described above.

The media display location signal 334 may be transmitted at a differentfrequency than, in a different format than, or both at a differentfrequency than and in a different format than the position indicativesignals 318 received from the terrestrial sources 320 and/or thesatellite-based sources 330. This may be desirable in that thereceivers, processors and related components necessary to processcertain types of signals (such as RF signals, acoustic signals, infrared(IR) signals, microwave signals, etc.) may be smaller than, less costlythan, use less power than, and/or have some other advantage over thecomponents necessary to receive and process the position indicativesignals 318. As such, it may be desirable to transmit the media displaylocation signals 334 using one of these formats so as to reduce the sizeof, weight of, power consumption of and/or cost of the portable monitor316. In certain advantageous embodiments, the media display locationsignal 334 is communicated acoustically in the same manner as thelocation data is communicated from the vehicle monitor 228 to theportable monitor in the embodiments of FIG. 2.

As with the system 110 described in FIG. 1, system 310 may optionallyemploy certain power conservation techniques in order to conservebattery life of the portable monitor 316. More specifically, either ofthe exemplary techniques described above, involving the generation oflocation data periodically or from time to time and/or employing atransmitter 322 which transmits a monitor enabling signal 324 andgenerating location data only when the monitor enabling signal 324 isreceived, may be employed.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a system 410 for measuring the exposureof a survey participant 412 to a media display 414 in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present invention. Similar to the system 110shown in FIG. 1, system 410 includes a portable monitor 416 arranged tobe carried on the person of the survey participant 412, which portablemonitor 416 receives one or more signals 418 and generates location dataindicative of a location of the portable monitor 416 based upon thesignals 418. However, rather than signals 418 being solely terrestrialin nature, signals 418 are produced by a server-assisted GPS technique,which, as described in more detail above, involves the positioning ofstationary servers 436 throughout the area of coverage to receivesignals 438 from satellites 430, to process such signals 438, and toassist portable monitor 416 to acquire the GPS signals from one or moresatellites 430. Thus, signals 418 are received from both servers 436 andsatellite 430.

The location data generated by the portable monitor 416 andserver-assisted GPS servers are analyzed in conjunction with storedmedia display data that represent media display locations and/orlocations from which persons are able to view media displays, toevaluate the exposure of the survey participant 412 to one or more mediadisplays 414. This analysis may be performed by the portable monitor 416and/or by a processing system to which the portable monitor 416 hascommunicated the location data. The processes of generating andanalyzing the location data are described in more detail below.

As with the system 110 described in FIG. 1, system 410 may optionallyemploy certain power conservation techniques in order to conservebattery life of the portable monitor 416. More specifically, either ofthe exemplary techniques described above, involving the generation oflocation data periodically or from time to time and/or employing atransmitter 422 which transmits a monitor enabling signal 424 andgenerating location data only when the monitor enabling signal 424 isreceived, may be employed.

Referring now to FIG. 5 a system 510 for measuring the exposure of asurvey participant 512 to a media display 514 in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention is schematically shown. Similar tothe system 110 shown in FIG. 1, system 510 includes a portable monitor516 arranged to be carried on the person of the survey participant 512,which portable monitor 516 receives one or more signals 518 from one ormore terrestrial sources 520 and/or satellite sources 530, and generateslocation data indicative of a location of the portable monitor 516.However, rather than the location data being generated based upon thereceived signals 518, the location data is generated based upon signalsproduced by an inertial monitoring unit which forms a part of portablemonitor 516. The received signals 518 are used to provide locationcalibration data to the inertial monitoring unit as without suchcalibration, measurement errors which are cumulative over time may leadto erroneous location data being generated. Such calibration, which isdescribed more fully below, may be performed periodically or from timeto time, or whenever the signals 518 are received.

The inertial monitoring unit preferably is small in size andlightweight. An advantageous embodiment of such an inertialmonitoring-unit employs microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS) as eithergyroscopic sensors and/or accelerometers to provide data from which thelocation of the monitor can be determined.

The portable monitor 516 may employ satellite-based techniques, such asglobal positioning system (GPS) and/or server assisted GPS technology,and/or terrestrial techniques, such as an angle of arrival (AOA)technique, a time difference of arrival (TDOA) technique, an enhancedsignal strength (ESS) technique, a location fingerprinting technique,and/or an ultra wideband location technique to produce the locationcalibration data based upon the signals 518. Each of these techniqueshas been briefly described above.

The location data generated by the portable monitor 516 are analyzed inconjunction with stored media display data that represent media displaylocations and/or locations from which persons are able to view mediadisplays, to evaluate the exposure of the survey participant 512 to oneor more media displays 514. This analysis may be performed by theportable monitor 516 and/or by a processing system to which the portablemonitor 516 has communicated the media display location data. Theprocesses of generating and analyzing the location data are described inmore detail below.

As with the system 110 described in FIG. 1, system 510 may optionallyemploy certain power conservation techniques in order to conservebattery life of the portable monitor 516. More specifically, either ofthe exemplary techniques described above, involving the generation oflocation data periodically or from time to time and/or employing atransmitter 522 which transmits a monitor enabling signal 524 andgenerating location data only when the monitor enabling signal 524 isreceived, may be employed.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a portable monitor 610 portion of a system andmethod for measuring the exposure of a survey participant to a mediadisplay in accordance with certain embodiments of the present inventionis shown. Portable monitor 610 is limited in size and configured to becarried about by a survey participant. The portable monitor 610 incertain embodiments is housed in a housing 612, and may be packagedsimilarly to a pager, cell phone, PDA or portable media player device.The portable monitor 610 in certain embodiments includes a clip, pin,belt loop, band, chain or other appropriate means 614 for affixing it toa belt, strap, shirt, blouse or other part of the survey participant'sclothing or directly to the survey participant. In certain embodiments,the portable monitor 610 is packaged in a wrist watch, article ofjewelry or in any other article or device of a kind which is or may becarried about. In other embodiments, the portable monitor includes means614 for mounting the portable monitor 610 on or in a vehicle in whichthe survey participant is traveling, such as a clip for attachment to avisor, a loop for attachment to a key ring, a magnet, a clamp, a screwor a hook-and-loop fastening system for allowing the portable monitor610 to be detachably connected to the dash or window of the vehicle orelsewhere on or in the vehicle.

The portable monitor 610 receives one or more position indicativesignals 616 from one or more position indicative signal transmitters,whether they be terrestrial signal transmitters, satellite-based signaltransmitters, or a combination of the two, as discussed in more detailabove. The signals 616 are used by a location data generator 618 togenerate location data 620 indicating geographically where the surveyparticipant has been. In certain embodiments, the location data 620 issupplemented with additional data, such as time/date data 622 indicativeof when the survey participant was at each location and/or additionalmedia data 624 indicative of additional media (such as radio, televisionand/or streaming media) to which the survey participant was exposed. Incertain ones of such embodiments, the additional media data representsmedia data identification codes embedded in acoustic media data and/oracoustic media data from which such codes or signatures representing theacoustic media data, are produced. The acoustic media data are receivedand transduced by a microphone of the monitor 612 and decoded therefromby a decoder thereof (such microphone and decoder not being shown forpurposes of simplicity and clarity).

The portable monitor 610 also includes a communications device 626 whichcommunicates the location data 620 (as well as the time/date data 622and/or the additional media data 624 in embodiments wherein such data isprovided) to a media exposure estimate producing system for producingmedia exposure data based upon the location data 620, along with thefurther communicated data. The communications device 626 may communicatethe location data 620 to the media exposure estimate producing system byany of numerous means, either by wire or wireless, such as by way oftelephone lines, data lines, fiber-optic lines, wireless opticaltransmissions, acoustic transmissions, radio transmissions, cell-phonenetworks, pager networks, etc.

In certain embodiments, the communications device 626 communicates thelocation data 620 to the media exposure estimate producing system inreal time (i.e., as the location data 620 is generated). In otherembodiments, the portable monitor 610 includes a memory 628, such as asolid state memory or a magnetically or optically readable storagemedium, onto which the location data 620 is stored as it is received. Inthese various embodiments, the communications device 626 is operative tocommunicate the stored location data 620 to the media exposure estimateproducing system in real time, from time to time and/or periodically.

FIG. 7 illustrates a portable monitor 710 portion of a system and methodfor measuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention. Severalelements of the portable monitor 710, including the housing 712, theoptional attachment means 714, the position indicative signal 716, thelocation data generator 718, the location data 720, the time/date data722, the additional media data 724 and means for producing it, and thecommunications device 726, are substantially similar in form andfunction to the similarly named and numbered elements of the portablemonitor 610 shown in FIG. 6 and described above. As such, these elementsare not again described in detail.

However, the portable monitor 710 includes additional functionality forfurther processing the location data 720 to create exposure data 730.Unlike location data 720 which is indicative of the geographicallocations to which the survey participant has traveled, the exposuredata 730 indicates the media display or displays to which the surveyparticipant has been exposed, how many times the survey participant hasbeen exposed thereto, and if the date/time data 722 is generated, atwhat dates and times the survey participant was exposed to such displayor displays.

This additional functionality is achieved by a media display exposureprocessor 732 which receives the location data 720 from the locationdata generator 718 and which receives media display data 734 which isstored in a media display memory 736. The media display data 734 isindicative of the geographical locations of the media display ordisplays to which exposure is to be measured, as well as various ruleswhich define whether the survey participant has been exposed to eachmedia display. These rules, for example may require that in order for anexposure to be determined the survey participant must have passed withina certain distance of the media display (the size of the media displayperhaps dictating the required distance), must have been traveling in acertain direction (which may be dictated by the direction in which themedia display is facing), must have been traveling at a certain time ofday (i.e., the media display may change over time and/or may only beviewable during daylight or nighttime hours, etc.), etc. Many otherrules may be applicable. As should be recognized, at least some of therules may be global rules applicable to all media displays, while atleast some rules may be specific to individual media displays.

The media display exposure processor 732 analyzes the location data 732in conjunction with the geographical locations of the media display ordisplays to which exposure is to be measured (as contained in the mediadisplay data 734), and determines that the survey participant has beenexposed to one or more media displays if this information correlateswithin the parameters specified in the rules contained in the mediadisplay data 734. If such an exposure is determined, exposure data 730indicative of such is generated. As is the case with the location data620 of the portable monitor 610 discussed above, the communicationsdevice 726 of portable monitor 710 may communicate the exposure data 730to the media exposure estimate producing system in real time (i.e., asthe exposure data 730 is generated), or the exposure data 730 may bestored in a memory 738 for later communication. In certain embodimentsthe functions of the location data generator 718 and the media displayexposure processor 732 are carried out by a single processor, while inother embodiments their respective functions are carried out by separateprocessors.

FIG. 8 illustrates certain embodiments of a portable monitor 812 portionand a vehicle monitor portion 814 of a system 810 and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

Portable monitor 812 is limited in size and configured to be carriedabout by a survey participant. The portable monitor 812 in certainembodiments is housed in a housing 816, and may be packaged similarly toa pager, cell phone, PDA or portable media player device. The portablemonitor 812 in certain embodiments includes a clip, pin, belt loop,band, chain or other appropriate means 818 for affixing it to a belt,strap, shirt, blouse or other part of the survey participant's clothingor directly to the survey participant. In certain embodiments, theportable monitor 812 is packaged in a wrist watch, article of jewelry orin any other article or device of a kind which is or may be carriedabout. In other embodiments, the portable monitor 812 includes means 818for mounting the portable monitor 812 on or in a vehicle in which thesurvey participant is traveling, such as a clip for attachment to avisor, a loop for attachment to a key ring, a magnet, a clamp, a screwor a hook-and-loop fastening system for allowing the portable monitor812 to be detachably connected to the dash or window of the vehicle orelsewhere on or in the vehicle.

Vehicle monitor 814 is configured to be mounted on or in a vehicle. Thevehicle may comprise a private vehicle, such as an automobile, a truck,a van, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a scooter, or the like, or may comprisea public vehicle, such as a train, a bus, a subway car, an airplane, amonorail or the like. The vehicle monitor 814 in certain embodiments ishoused in a housing 820, and in certain embodiments, the vehicle monitor814 includes means 822 for mounting the vehicle monitor 814 on or in thevehicle.

The vehicle monitor 814 receives one or more position indicative signals824 from one or more position indicative signal transmitters, whetherthey be terrestrial signal transmitters, satellite-based signaltransmitters, or a combination of the two, as discussed in more detailabove. The signals 824 are used by a location data generator 826 togenerate location data 828 indicating where the vehicle (and thus thesurvey participant riding in the vehicle) has been geographically. Thelocation data 828 may be supplemented with additional data, such astime/date data 830 indicating when the survey participant was at eachlocation and/or additional media data 832 indicating additional media(such as radio, television or streaming media) to which the surveyparticipant was exposed.

The vehicle monitor 814 also includes a signal transmitter 834 whichgenerates and transmits a signal 836 containing the location data 828generated by the location data generator 826 as well as the time/datedata 830 and/or the additional media data 832 in embodiments whereinsuch data is provided. In certain ones of such embodiments, theadditional media data represents media data identification codesembedded in acoustic media data received and transduced by a microphoneof the monitor 814 and decoded therefrom by a decoder thereof (suchmicrophone and decoder not being shown for purposes of simplicity andclarity). In certain alternate embodiments, the additional media data isproduced by appropriate means included in portable monitor 812. Thesignal 836 may be an acoustic signal, an RF signal, an IR signal or anyother signal appropriate for transmission, preferably wirelesstransmission. Where the signal 836 is acoustic, preferably it is maskedas described above in connection with FIG. 2.

The portable monitor 812 includes a signal receiver 838 adapted toreceive the signal 836 transmitted by the transmitter 834 of the vehiclemonitor 814, and to extract the location data 828 therefrom. Theportable monitor 812 also includes a communications device 840 whichcommunicates the location data 828 extracted from the signal 836 to amedia exposure estimate producing system for producing media exposuredata based upon the location data 828. The communications device 840 maycommunicate the location data 828 to the media exposure estimateproducing system by any of numerous means, either by wire or wireless,such as by way of telephone lines, data lines, fiber-optic lines, radiotransmissions, infrared transmission, acoustic transmission, cell-phonenetworks, pager networks, etc.

In certain embodiments, the communications device 840 communicates thelocation data 828 to the media exposure estimate producing system inreal time (i.e., as the location data 828 is received by receiver 838).In other embodiments, the portable monitor 812 includes a memory 842,such as a solid state memory or a magnetically or optically readablestorage medium, in which the location data 828 is stored as it isreceived. In these various embodiments, the communications device 840 isoperative to communicate the stored location data 828 to the mediaexposure estimate producing system in real time, from time to timeand/or periodically.

FIG. 9 illustrates certain embodiments of a portable monitor 912 portionand a vehicle monitor portion 914 of a system 910 and method formeasuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

Several elements of the vehicle monitor 914, including the housing 920,the optional attachment means 922, the position indicative signal 924,the location data generator 926, the location data 928, the time/datedata 930, the additional media data 932 and the signal transmitter 934,are substantially similar in form and function to the similarly namedand numbered elements of the vehicle monitor 814 shown in FIG. 8 anddescribed above. Similarly, several elements of the portable monitor912, including the housing 916, the optional attachment means 918, thesignal receiver 938 and communications device 940, are substantiallysimilar in form and function to the similarly named and numberedelements of the portable monitor 812 shown in FIG. 8 and describedabove. As such, these elements are not again described in detail.

However, the vehicle monitor 914 includes additional functionality forfurther processing the location data 928 to create exposure data 944.Unlike location data 928 which is indicative of the geographicallocations to which the survey participant has traveled, the exposuredata 944 is indicative of the media display or displays to which thesurvey participant has been exposed, how many times the surveyparticipant has been exposed thereto, and if the date/time data 930 isgenerated, at what dates and times the survey participant was exposedthereto.

This additional functionality is achieved by a media display exposureprocessor 946 which receives the location data 928 from the locationdata generator 926 and which receives media display data 948 which isstored in a media display memory 950. The media display data 948 isindicative of the geographical locations of the media display ordisplays to which exposure is to be measured, as well as various ruleswhich define whether the survey participant has been exposed to eachmedia display. These rules, for example may require that in order for anexposure to be determined the survey participant must have passed withina certain distance of the media display (the size of the media displayperhaps dictating the required distance), must have been traveling in acertain direction (which may be dictated by the direction in which themedia display is facing), must have been traveling at a certain time ofday (i.e., the media display may change over time and/or may only beviewable during daylight or nighttime hours, etc.), etc. Many otherrules may be applicable. As should be recognized, at least some of therules may be global rules applicable to all media displays, while atleast some rules may be specific to individual media displays.

The media display exposure processor 946 analyzes the location data 928in conjunction with the geographical locations of the media display ordisplays to which exposure is to be measured (as contained in the mediadisplay data 948), and determines that the survey participant has beenexposed to one or more media displays if this information correlateswithin the parameters specified in the rules contained in the mediadisplay data 948. If such an exposure is determined, exposure data 944indicative of such is generated. Similar to the case with the vehiclemonitor 814 discussed above, the signal transmitter 934 generates andtransmits a signal 952 containing the exposure data 944, which signal952 is received by the signal receiver 938 of the portable monitor 912.As is the case with the portable monitor 812 discussed above, thecommunications device 940 of portable monitor 912 may communicate theexposure data 944 to the media exposure estimate producing system inreal time (i.e., as the exposure data 944 is received), or the exposuredata 944 may be stored in a memory 954 for later communication. Ineither case, time and date data as well as additional media data, ifavailable, is also communicated with the exposure data 944.

FIG. 10 illustrates certain embodiments of a portable monitor 1012portion and a vehicle monitor portion 1014 of a system 1010 and methodfor measuring the exposure of a survey participant to a media display inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

Several elements of the vehicle monitor 1014, including the housing1020, the optional attachment means 1022, the position indicative signal1024, the location data generator 1026, the location data 1028, thetime/date data 1030, the additional media data 1032, the signaltransmitter 1034 and the transmitted signal 1036, are substantiallysimilar in form and function to the similarly named and numberedelements of the vehicle monitor 814 shown in FIG. 8 and described above.Similarly, several elements of the portable monitor 1012, including thehousing 1016, the optional attachment means 1018, the signal receiver1038 and communications device 1040, are substantially similar in formand function to the similarly named and numbered elements of theportable monitor 1012 shown in FIG. 8 and described above. As such,these elements are not again described in detail. In certainembodiments, the additional media data 1032 represents media dataidentification codes embedded in acoustic media data received andtransduced by a microphone of the monitor 1014 and decoded therefrom bya decoder thereof (such microphone and decoder not being shown forpurposes of simplicity and clarity). In certain alternate embodiments,the additional media data is produced by appropriate means included inportable monitor 1012.

The portable monitor 1012 includes additional functionality for furtherprocessing the location data 1028 received from the vehicle monitor 1014to create exposure data 1044. Unlike location data 1028 which isindicative of the geographical locations to which the survey participanthas traveled, the exposure data 1044 is indicative of the media displayor displays to which the survey participant has been exposed, how manytimes the survey participant has been exposed thereto, and if thedate/time data 1030 is generated, at what dates and times the surveyparticipant was exposed thereto.

This additional functionality is achieved by a media display exposureprocessor 1046 which receives the location data 1028 from the signalreceiver 1038 and which receives media display data 1048 which is storedin a media display memory 1050. The media display data 1048 isindicative of the geographical locations of the media display ordisplays to which exposure is to be measured, as well as various ruleswhich define whether the survey participant has been exposed to eachmedia display. These rules, for example may require that in order for anexposure to be determined the survey participant must have passed withina certain distance of the media display (the size of the media displayperhaps dictating the required distance), must have been traveling in acertain direction (which may be dictated by the direction in which themedia display is facing), must have been traveling at a certain time ofday (i.e., the media display may change over time and/or may only beviewable during daylight or nighttime hours, etc.), etc. Many otherrules may be applicable. As should be recognized, at least some of therules may be global rules applicable to all media displays, while atleast some rules may be specific to individual media displays.

The media display exposure processor 1046 analyzes the location data1028 in conjunction with the geographical locations of the media displayor displays to which exposure is to be measured (as contained in themedia display data 1048), and determines that the survey participant hasbeen exposed to one or more media displays if this informationcorrelates within the parameters specified in the rules contained in themedia display data 1048. If such an exposure is determined, exposuredata 1044 indicative of such is generated. As is the case with theportable monitor 812 discussed above, the communications device 1040 ofportable monitor 1012 may communicate the exposure data 1044 to themedia exposure estimate producing system in real time (i.e., as theexposure data 1044 is generated), or the exposure data 1044 may bestored in a memory 1054 for later communication. In either case,additional media data, if available, is also communicated with theexposure data 944.

FIG. 11 illustrates a portable monitor 1110 portion of a system andmethod for measuring the exposure of a survey participant to a mediadisplay in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

Several elements of the portable monitor 1110, including the housing1112, the optional attachment means 1114, the position indicative signal1116, the location data 1120, the time/date data 1122, the additionalmedia data 1124 and the means for producing the same, the communicationsdevice 1126 and the location data memory 1128, are substantially similarin form and function to the similarly named and numbered elements of theportable monitor 610 shown in FIG. 6 and described above. As such, theseelements are not again described in detail. In certain embodiments, theadditional media data 1124 represents media data identification codesembedded in acoustic media data received and transduced by a microphoneof the monitor 1112 and decoded therefrom by a decoder thereof (suchmicrophone and decoder not being shown for purposes of simplicity andclarity).

However, the location data generator 1130 of the portable monitor 1110of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 is different than the location datagenerators 618, 718, 826, 926, 1026 discussed in connection withprevious embodiments in at least one significant respect. Rather thanlocation data generator 1130 generating location data 1120 based uponsignals 1116, location data generator 1130 includes an inertialmonitoring unit 1132, and location data 1120 is generated based uponsignals generated by this inertial monitoring unit 1132.

As is known in the art, inertial motion measurement methods depend onorthogonally mounted inertial rate sensors and orthogonally mountedaccelerometers to obtain multi-axis rate and acceleration measurementsignals. In certain advantageous embodiments, the inertial monitoringunit 1132 employs microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS) as gyroscopicsensors and/or accelerometers to provide data from which the location ofthe monitor can be determined.

These signals, in combination with information concerning the user'sposition at a particular time can be used to compute the user's locationat any other particular time. Inertial monitoring unit 1132 employsthese principals to generate location data 1120.

However, also as known in the art, because the computation of the user'slocation is based upon cumulative rate and location measurements, errorsin these measurements are also cumulative. For example, if a user beginstracking his/her location in the morning using an inertial monitoringunit, by the end of the day even slight errors introduced at each leg ofthe user's journey can add up such that the user's calculated positionat the end of the day may be significantly different than the user'sactual position. This problem may be obviated, however, if the inertialmonitoring unit is calibrated throughout the day. This may beaccomplished any time the user's actual position is known. Essentially,the inertial monitoring unit is “reset”, and rate and accelerationmeasurements can begin anew from this known location.

Inertial monitoring unit 1132 of the present invention employs positionindicative signals 1116 to so calibrate itself, and in variousembodiments employs one or more of the position indicative signalsdescribed above for this purpose. Such calibration may be performedperiodically or from time to time, or whenever the signals 1116 arereceived. Inertial monitoring unit 1132 thus allows the surveyparticipant's movements to be tracked even in locations where signals1116 are not available (such as in buildings, in subways, in ruralareas, etc.), while allowing calibration to be performed where signals1116 are available.

It should be recognized that a location data generator which generateslocation data based upon an inertial monitoring unit, similar tolocation data generator 1130 of the portable monitor 1110 of theembodiment shown in FIG. 11, may be substituted for any of the locationdata generators 618, 718, 826, 926, 1026 discussed in connection withprevious embodiments.

When the media exposure estimate producing system in each of the aboveembodiments receives the location data and/or the exposure data from thecommunications device of each portable monitor, it produces dataestimating exposure to media displays in order to produce reports ofinterest to media display owners, advertisers, broadcasters,cablecasters, on-line services, content providers, and the like. Iflocation data (as opposed to exposure data) is received by the mediaexposure estimate producing system, it is first processed (similar tothe manner described above in connection with certain embodiments whichinclude a media display exposure processor and a media display datamemory) in order to produce media display exposure data. The mediadisplay exposure data may then be analyzed in connection with additionalmedia data (when provided), such as radio, television or streaming mediadata, to produce combined media exposure data spanning multiple mediaformats.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, featuresand the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possiblearrangements or features, and indeed many other embodiments,modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill inthe art.

1. A method comprising the steps of: generating location data in aportable monitor configured to be carried on the person of a surveyparticipant; receiving media display data in the portable monitor, saidmedia display data indicating media displays to which the portablemonitor was exposed to; receiving additional media data in the portablemonitor, said additional media data indicating exposure of the portablemonitor to acoustic audio; and processing the location data, mediadisplay data and additional media data in the portable monitor toevaluate the portable monitor's exposure to media displays and acousticaudio.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating location datacomprises using satellite-based signals in order to generate thelocation data.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the satellite-basedsignals comprise global positioning system signals.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 wherein generating location data comprises usingterrestrial-based signals in order to generate the location data.
 5. Themethod of claim 4 wherein generating location data comprises using atechnique comprising at least one of an enhanced signal strengthtechnique, a location fingerprinting technique, and an ultra widebandlocation technique in order to generate the location data.
 6. The methodof claim 1 wherein the step of generating location data is performedperiodically or from time to time.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereingenerating location data comprises using a technique comprising at leastone of an angle of arrival technique, a time difference of arrivaltechnique, an enhanced signal strength technique, a locationfingerprinting technique, and an ultra wideband location technique inorder to generate the location data.
 8. The method of claim 1 whereinthe additional media data is indicative of the survey participant'sexposure to one of broadcast or streaming media data.
 9. The portablemonitoring system of claim 8, wherein the location data generated by thelocation data generator comprises satellite-based signals.
 10. Theportable monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the location datagenerated by the location data generator comprises terrestrial-basedsignals.
 11. The portable monitoring system of claim 8 wherein thelocation data generator generates location data using a techniquecomprising at least one of an enhanced signal strength technique, alocation fingerprinting technique, and an ultra wideband locationtechnique in order to generate the location data.
 12. The portablemonitoring system of claim 8 wherein the location data is generatedperiodically or from time to time.
 13. The portable monitoring system ofclaim 8, wherein the location data generator generates location datausing a technique comprising at least one of an angle of arrivaltechnique, a time difference of arrival technique, an enhanced signalstrength technique, a location fingerprinting technique, and an ultrawideband location technique in order to generate the location data. 14.The portable monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the additional mediadata is indicative of the survey participant's exposure to one ofbroadcast or streaming media data.
 15. A portable monitoring systemconfigured to be carried on the person of a survey participant,comprising: a location data generator for generating location data inthe portable monitoring system; a first input for receiving mediadisplay data, said media display data indicating media displays to whichthe portable monitoring system was, exposed to; a second input forreceiving additional media data, said additional media data indicatingexposure of the portable monitoring system to acoustic audio; and aprocessor communicatively coupled to the location data generator, thefirst input and second input, wherein said processor analyzes thelocation data, media display data and additional media data to evaluatethe portable monitor's exposure to media displays and acoustic audio.16. The portable monitoring system of claim 15 wherein thesatellite-based signals comprise global positioning system signals.